You Can't Always Get What You Want
by Hippo and Friends
Summary: Zidane and Dagger are reunited and overjoyed together. But new problems arise when Dagger suddenly disappears. Rated T for angst and sexual innuendo. Part of the Hippoviewniverse.


You Can't Always Get What You Want By Hippo  
  
With their hands clasped, Zidane and Dagger slowly climbed the castle stairs. It had been a rather long day. They had just finished their first dinner together in a long time, which left them both feeling tired. It was nearly eleven, and everyone else in the castle had retired for the night.  
  
Zidane was, for the first time, truly happy. He had been imprisoned under a tree for months. Every once in a while, he had lost hope, and considered giving up on life. But he always remembered the girl who loved him with all her heart. He knew she needed him as much as he needed her.  
  
Dagger couldn't describe the joy she felt inside. When the day began, she was certain the love of her life was dead. Knowing she could never love another man, she had been preparing to take a public oath of celibacy. She had even, though briefly, contemplated taking her own life, so that she could join him in the world beyond. But she knew her kingdom needed her, and decided to reign in sorrow for decades.  
  
Finally, they reached the door to Dagger's bedroom. Zidane kindly opened it and bowed as she passed through, which gave her a smirk on her face. As Zidane prepared to shut the door, Dagger sat down on her bed and motioned for him to join her. He did so promptly, thinking she had something important to say before she turned in.  
  
"You okay?" he asked politely.  
  
"Yeah. My butt's just tired," replied the Queen with a giggle.  
  
Then, the smile faded from her face, revealing a serious expression.  
  
"Zidane, can I ask you something?" she asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why did you wait for so long to return?"  
  
Zidane sighed inside. He knew that question was inevitable.  
  
"I was trapped for months," he replied softly. "I didn't ever expect to escape. I almost gave up hope. But I remembered who was back here. And I knew I couldn't let her down." He paused. "I was rescued this morning."  
  
At this point, Dagger was resting her head on his shoulder. "There's something else we need to talk about," she added, in a more serious tone of voice.  
  
"What is it, my love?"  
  
"Zidane, I know we love each other, and I think we should take the next step."  
  
"Shouldn't we wait until we're married?"  
  
"Zidane," replied Dagger softly, "we already are."  
  
Of course he remembered. They only married because they needed to do so in order to complete their quest, but until she brought it up, it had totally slipped from his mind.  
  
"Actually," she added, "before you returned, I had called myself a widow."  
  
"We don't have any rings, do we?"  
  
Without responding, Dagger reached into her pocket. After withdrawing her hand, she opened it to reveal two golden rings. As he looked, Zidane noticed that they were identical to the ring that her villainous predecessor had been wearing.  
  
"My father gave these to me shortly before he died. He told me never to give them to anyone except for the man who is to be my husband."  
  
With that, she took his left hand and slipped one of the rings on his finger.  
  
"We're going to be together for life, Zidane," she whispered as she leant up to kiss him.  
  
"Forever," corrected Zidane in a whisper as he accepted it.  
  
Dagger dropped the ring into Zidane's right hand, and he slipped it on her finger.  
  
"So," continued Dagger with a slightly naughty grin on her face, "Ready for some queenly love?"  
  
Zidane, returning the same grin, hesitated for but a minute before taking Dagger into his arms and kissing her.  
  
*****  
  
Zidane stirred. Looking out the window, he guessed it was around midnight. The crickets chirped and a couple of owls were hooting, but it was otherwise quiet. The curtains were blowing, and he could tell a cold breeze was blowing outside, but that didn't matter. He was covered by three layers of blankets, plus a bedspread. But that was not the best part of the bed.  
  
Next to him was Dagger. She was asleep on her stomach, with her left arm wrapped around his shoulders. Her head was nestled against his. Her bare shoulders poked slightly out from under the covers, and her long black hair ran down her covered back like a shimmering blanket. She was sound asleep, but she had a smile on her young face nonetheless. She knew she would never be alone again. She was his, and he was hers.  
  
Right now, life could not be better.  
  
*****  
  
Zidane awoke again. Looking out the window, he realized it was high noon already.  
  
"Crud!" he whispered carefully, though he soon realized that Dagger, of course, had already awoken. That realization left him more annoyed, for he was hoping to bathe with her.  
  
Zidane quickly hopped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He bathed himself quickly and dressed feeling nervous.  
  
"She's going to be pissed!" he scolded himself.  
  
He headed down the stairs to the dining room. She wasn't there. He then asked the guards at the front gate if she had left the castle, which they denied. This gave Zidane some relief, but the castle was huge, and she would be difficult to find. As he headed back into the foyer, he heard footsteps running toward him from the right.  
  
"Zidane!"  
  
Zidane turned his head to see Blank and Marcus running up to him.  
  
"Have you seen Dagger?" he asked without hesitation.  
  
"Yeah, we have!" they replied in unison.  
  
Zidane's eyes widened. "You have?"  
  
"She headed down the basement and, uh, through the tunnel," informed Marcus.  
  
"And she was naked!" declared Blank with a grin.  
  
"Butt naked!" added Marcus.  
  
"Yeah, and her ass! You're so damn lucky you get to view it all the-"  
  
"Cut it out!" snapped the worried and angered Zidane.  
  
"Sorry," apologized his friends in unison.  
  
"Was she with one of those giant bugs?"  
  
"No. She just disappeared into the tunnel on foot."  
  
Finite size prevented Zidane's eyes from widening any further. Dagger would never head into one of those tunnels on foot, and certainly not without a strip of clothing on. This was not good at all.  
  
"Why didn't you try to stop her?!" Zidane demanded.  
  
"I-I-I-I-tho-" began Marcus.  
  
"We thought you two were doin' something, so we didn't want to disturb you guys!" finished Blank.  
  
Zidane let out a very unpleasant sigh. They were a handful, but now he was getting very irritated. Something was wrong, and there was no time for games.  
  
"Come with me!" ordered Zidane.  
  
*****  
  
Zidane hurried down into the basement and to the tunnel, with Blank and Marcus following right behind him. When they reached the tunnel, Zidane stopped but a moment when he noticed that Dagger's footprints were clearly visible on the cave floor. Without thinking twice he jumped down.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked a worried Blank.  
  
"Just fine!" Zidane responded sarcastically as he followed Dagger's tracks.  
  
Blank was hurt, but he understood. Zidane loved Dagger with all his heart, and there was no way he would let anything happen to her. Still, he was a friend of Marcus and Blank, and they followed him, for they didn't want anything to happen to him, either.  
  
"Sorry," apologized Zidane, suddenly, as he continued to follow the tracks in the dark tunnel. "I know I'm being a pain in the ass right now, but you know, it's just not like her to-ahh!"  
  
The tracks made a sharp turn and led right into to the cave wall.  
  
"There's no way she could climb this," he muttered as he looked towards the ceiling.  
  
Blank kicked the dirt on the ground, and, to his surprise, the wall that the tracks led to began to distort.  
  
"An illusion?" suggested Zidane.  
  
Blank stuck his dagger into the distortion and pulled it back. There was no damage to it. He then stuck his index finger into it with similar results.  
  
"I think it's safe to say this won't kill us, whatever it is," he said.  
  
Zidane then stuck his head into the distortion, and saw something he did not expect.  
  
"What's in there?" asked Marcus after Zidane had withdrawn his head.  
  
"Move caves," replied Zidane.  
  
With that, he proceeded through the distortion without hesitation.  
  
"Hey!" cried Blank and Marcus in unison as they quickly followed him.  
  
***** The cave on the other side of the distortion was virtually identical to the one they were in. But they could tell it was much smaller, for it was lighter, and they could see an opening at the other end.  
  
Beyond the opening lay an empty field. Flowers grew from the ground, and hills rose every here and there, but that was all.  
  
"Where the hell are we?" asked Blank.  
  
"No idea," replied Zidane, still trying to follow Dagger's tracks, which headed into the field and turned sharply left before disappearing. Zidane instinctively proceeded in the direction of the tracks, and Blank, and Marcus, although by now totally hopeless, followed.  
  
The field seemed endless. The three explorers traveled for what seemed like forever. There was no evidence of any form of civilization, and their hopes were fading. They had lost sight of Dagger's footprints, and, to make matters worse, had not brought water and food with them. They would have to turn back before long, even though all three knew Zidane wouldn't allow it.  
  
The sun eventually began to set. Even Zidane was now beginning to wonder if he would ever find his beloved Dagger. He was not one to accept defeat, but he still knew when to accept ugly reality. He decided that he would finish climbing the hill he was on and then would turn back. He didn't see it as the end of his search, only that he needed to find out more about the mysterious world he was in.  
  
When the three weary travelers finally reached the top of the hill, Zidane's heart skipped a beat. Looking down, he saw a distant object that looked some what like a castle. Without uttering a word, he began to run.  
  
It was rather small, as the three realized when they reached it. They felt a little disappointed, but reminded themselves that they were in a strange world, where just about anything could happen. Then, without warning, Zidane reached for the door.  
  
"WHOA!" objected Blank as he pulled Zidane back. "You can't just barge in there! We have no idea what's inside!"  
  
"I know what's inside," Zidane replied, thinking of Dagger.  
  
"Who knows what else is inside?" added Marcus.  
  
"I don't care!" exclaimed Zidane, almost snarling, as he freed himself from Blank's grasp, opened the door, and disappeared inside.  
  
Blank and Marcus quickly followed their friend.  
  
*****  
  
The interior of the building was quite small. The three travelers were in a tiny room with stairs on one side and another door right in front of them.  
  
Zidane's heart was pounding in his chest. He knew Dagger was very close now, but he was not prepared for anything. Why would she come here? Asking this, Zidane knew he must expect the unexpected. He knew he must prepare for the worst.  
  
Zidane could see three figures were seated at the other end of the room.  
  
They both had horns coming from their heads. They both had hair that was the same color as Dagger's.  
  
"Greetings," declared the center figure rather suddenly.  
  
"Greetings," replied Blank and Marcus politely.  
  
"I am Gelvore, Emperor of the Alpha World. This is my son, Prince Semloc."  
  
Prince Semloc bowed, which encouraged Zidane, Blank, and Marcus to follow suit.  
  
"Has Your Majesty seen a black-haired girl in the past day?"  
  
"Yes. I have summoned her here."  
  
"Could I be so bold to ask the reason for the summon?"  
  
"She is one of the Horned People," Semloc replied.  
  
It was her, of course.  
  
"With all respect," began Zidane, "I need to take her home."  
  
"I am afraid that will not be possible," Gelvore answered.  
  
"Why not?" asked Zidane, nearly losing his respect.  
  
"She is to be married to Semloc," replied the king.  
  
Everything changed for Zidane at that moment. His teeth chattered in his now-dry mouth. His limbs and digits trembled. Finally, he couldn't take it, and collapsed to the ground. Married. His greatest fear was finding her dead, so he never thought about this as a possible situation. Was this even worse?  
  
"Mar-" was all he could say. He was simply to shocked and upset to speak.  
  
"She's Queen of a land in our world," protested Blank. "Countless people admire and even depend on her."  
  
"She's already married to me!" Zidane finally managed to choke out.  
  
"Zidane," said Semloc calmly, "this is where she belongs. It's her heritage. You must understand this."  
  
"But I love her!" cried Zidane at the top of his lungs.  
  
"We know this is hurtful," added Gelvore. "Please, spend the night. You must be exhausted."  
  
Slowly and quietly, Zidane pulled himself to his feet. "Thank you for your invitation," he softly replied. He knew Blank and Marcus were baffled, but he understood completely what was about to happen. This wasn't over yet.  
  
*****  
  
Zidane rose out of his bed at four in the morning. He had never fallen asleep, but he knew this would be when Semloc and Gelvore should be in their deepest dreams. Zidane certainly did not believe the two "royal" individuals were dangerous, but he was not interested in taking any risks, so he waited until this point. He stood up carefully, making sure he wouldn't be noisy, but once he realized that his feet were silent on the surface, he quickly scuttled out into the upstairs hallway.  
  
Cautiously, Zidane opened the door to Dagger's bedroom. He knew she was somewhere in the room, but had no idea what she would be like. After seeing her condition earlier, he expected anything. Looking deep into the darkness, he could see a beautiful white bed with pillars and a roof. And sleeping in that bed was his beloved Dagger.  
  
There she lay, sound asleep, dressed in a silk nightgown. She was treated with royalty, even though she was a foreigner.  
  
"Dagger?"  
  
She didn't speak. Zidane knew he was too quiet, but he couldn't risk awakening Semloc and Gelvore.  
  
"Come on!" whispered Zidane loudly as he grabbed hold of her arm, gently but firmly. He guided her forward, and she surprisingly showed no resistance. Slight guilt racked his soul, for he felt like he was kidnapping her. Yet he knew he was doing the right thing. Even if this was her heritage, it was not where she wanted to be. As he guided her down the stairs, he even wondered if she was trying to call him for help, but simply did not have the power to. Whatever the spell was, it was not working perfectly.  
  
Cautiously, he guided her into the hallway, down the narrow flight of stairs, and out the door. Blank and Marcus were already waiting there. Before he had time to breath a sigh of relief that he made it out of the "castle," he scooped up the mindless Dagger and carried her on his shoulder.  
  
They had a long way to go, and they knew it wouldn't be easy.  
  
*****  
  
The sun rose slowly in the east as the fugitives hurried toward their goal. As the darkness gradually faded, the four nervous comrades traveled the terrain with hopes that they would escape before the day was out. But once the sun had risen, there was an unpleasant realization. Semloc and Gelvore were almost certainly awake by now, and had noticed that their precious Dagger was missing.  
  
They had recently passed the cemetery, and guess that there were about halfway to the gate by then. Blank and Marcus had grown tired, and wanted to take a rest. But Zidane would always hustle them along. He knew if they stopped, Semloc and Gelvore would have an unnecessary advantage.  
  
Dagger had fallen asleep. Zidane had no idea what was wrong with her, but it was not his main concern. That honor belonged to escaping this strange world, wherever it might have been, and getting back home safely. Then they would worry about Dagger's condition. Zidane had his hopes on Dr. SCHOLAR, who had helped them in the past when Dagger had lost her voice. Of course, as Zidane realized, SCHOLAR was his only hope. If he was unable to explain what was wrong with Dagger, perhaps no one could. If that happened, Zidane feared, Dagger would never be the same again. But even if she wasn't, Zidane still loved her, and was committed to caring for her as long as possible.  
  
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. W9 fell to the ground, and W10 struggled to keep his balance. It was hardest on Zidane, who was carrying Dagger. She wasn't heavy, but she was placing harmful weight on his shoulder. Knowing there was no way he could keep his balance in such a condition, he allowed her to slide down so her feet were almost touching the ground and her face rested on his shoulder. Unfortunately, this did not help, and Zidane fell backward and hit the ground. The ground was soft, though, and neither Zidane nor Dagger was injured.  
  
The rumbling then intensified, and the light in the sky faded. Dark clouds gathered over the four fleers, and thunder began to roll loudly. As the wind began to howl, part of the clouds extended to the ground, forming what looked like a tornado. Zidane began to feel it's pull, and buried the fingers of his free hand into the dirt as deep as he could.  
  
"YOU THIEVES!" cried a loud, deep, and sudden voice from the tornado. "RETURN HER TO US!"  
  
"NO!" cried Zidane as he tightened his grip around Dagger. "You can't have her!"  
  
"YOU FOOL!" continued the angry voice, "DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ACTUALLY STEAL HER FROM US?"  
  
"I'm rescuing her from your prison!" Zidane shouted toward the clouds.  
  
"IS THE PLACE WHERE SHE BELONGS A PRISON? IS IT IMPRISONMENT TO BE AMONGST YOUR OWN RACE?"  
  
With that, despite all of his strength, the princess blew out of Zidane's arms and disappeared into the "funnel."  
  
"IF YOU DARE CONSIDER TRYING TO KIDNAP HER AGAIN, YOU'RE LIVES WILL BE OVER!"  
  
Dagger was gone.  
  
"We have to go back!" exclaimed Zidane frantically as he jumped to his feet and began to run back toward the castle.  
  
"That's suicide!" declared Blank. "Didn't you even notice what just happened?"  
  
"How? After all I've been through?"  
  
"Blank's right," replied Marcus sadly. "This is different now. We have no summoners or mages. Without magic, we have no chance against Semloc and Gelvore. And since they're royalty, going after them would be suicide."  
  
"These freaks aren't royalty!" protested Zidane. "Hell, they live in a small stone house in the middle of nowhere!"  
  
"You can't always get what you want," spoke Blank finally.  
  
"What?" demanded Zidane in a confused but angry voice.  
  
"You can't always get what you want, Zidane." repeated Blank.  
  
"Now that you mention it, I don't think I have."  
  
"Remember when you used to run around, having fun, not a care on your mind?"  
  
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Zidane noticed a cemetery halfway atop a nearby hill. It turned out this world had civilization, after all. No longer wanting to disturb their grief-stricken friend, Blank and Marcus watched as Zidane paced himself up the hill. Before any of the three knew it, Zidane started kicking the first tombstone he reached.  
  
Blank and Marcus were shocked. Even though he had just lost the love of his life, this was a new low for him! Neither friend understood why they had not temptation to tell him to stop, and before long the tombstone hit the ground with a thump.  
  
"Zidane!" cried Marcus. This was a new low for him.  
  
"That felt good," said the tailed man suddenly.  
  
"You never change, do you?" asked Blank.  
  
"I guess not!" replied Zidane gleefully as he moved on to the next stone.  
  
Blank and Marcus shrugged and began to join his vandalism. He needed their support at the moment.  
  
By the time the sun began to set, all the tombstones in the cemetery had been knocked to the ground.  
  
*****  
  
The sun rose in the east the next morning. Blank was the first to awaken. He had no idea what the time was, but he felt as if he had been sleeping forever. Judging by the sun's position, it must have been well past noon.  
  
He nudged Marcus with his foot, who rose groggily.  
  
"What time is it?" Marcus managed to yawn.  
  
"Time to get moving!" Blank responded as he rose to his feet and headed for Zidane. "Zidane," he ordered.  
  
No answer. Blank knew it was typical for Zidane to sleep like a stone.  
  
"Zidane, get up!" ordered Blank again as he gave him a shove.  
  
Again no answer. He was becoming a handful again.  
  
At this point, Blank was quite annoyed. "Come on!" he exclaimed as he kicked Zidane over on his front.  
  
Silence.  
  
Suddenly, Blank's emotions converted from annoyance to fear. Nervously, he placed his fingers on Zidane's neck, checking for a pulse.  
  
"Zidane? Speak to us!" cried Marcus.  
  
But Zidane still did not move. Slowly, the sad realization came to him.  
  
"He's.....gone, Marcus," said Blank sadly.  
  
"Gone?!" cried Marcus in disbelief. "How?!"  
  
"It don't know," replied Blank, quietly and sadly. "Perhaps....he's stopped."  
  
"Stopped?"  
  
"Then Vivi died." Blank added.  
  
"You mean he was only built to last for so long?"  
  
"Exactly," replied Blank sadly.  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Marcus, sad and confused.  
  
*****  
  
Blank and Marcus buried Zidane on the spot he died. Since no grave marker was available, they placed his staff on his resting place instead.  
  
Weeping bitterly, they began their journey home. Although this adventure had been a failure, Zidane's heroism still marked elsewhere. An evil queen was still gone. Mages were no longer created. The world was safe from evil. In that way, Zidane would live on. 


End file.
